The Duke

Following a quick trip on the Des Moines River for lunch on a paddlewheeler, we headed to Omaha.  We SIMPLY HAD to make a little detour to Winterset, the birthplace of my hero, John Wayne.

As you may know, Mr. Wayne's birth name was Marion Morrison.  This was the smallest of houses, as you can see, but it was full of memorabilia which we thoroughly enjoyed.  I even purchased two tee shirts today!  (After all, this is John Wayne!)

By the way, he got the name "Duke" when he was a kid, because his dog's name was Duke.  People called the dog Little Duke and Marion Big Duke.  Later in life when he went by the name John Wayne, the nickname of "Duke" stayed with him.  After growing up in two homes in Iowa, the family moved to California; and the rest, as they say, is history.